Rail vehicle with electromagnet engaging belt drive

Claim 2

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system comprising parallel side rails extending along a path, a guide rail extending parallel with the side rails, at least one electric feeder line extending parallel with the side rails, a moving magnetic material extending along the path parallel with said rails, at least one truck having wheels thereon running on said side rails, at least one electromagnet movably mounted on said truck in alignment with said moving magnetic material, at least one current collector engaged with the feeder line, and electrically connected with said electromagnet, magnetically opened brake means on said truck magnetically associate with said electromagnet and normally spring loaded into braking engagement with said guide rail for braking said truck when said electromagnet is deenergized and being opened when said magnet is energized.

Claim 3

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 in which there are at least two feeder lines and at least two current collectors, one in engagement with each line, said current collectors being connected in a circuit with said electromagnet.

Claim 4

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a make and break switch in series with said current collector and said electromagnet, and having an extension projecting forwardly of said truck, whereby the electromagnet is deenergized by a break in the circuit thereto when the truck engages a truck ahead of it on said rails.

Claim 5

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 in which there is at least two electromagnets and two pairs of current collectors, and at least two feeder lines.

Claim 6

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 in which said brake means comprises a brake wheel frictionally engagable with said guide wheel, a brake drum coupled to said brake wheel, a brake shoe movable into and out of engagement with said drum, spring means connected to said brake shoe urging the brake shoe into engagement with said drum, and an armature on said brake shoe in magnetic relationship to said electromagnet and being attracted to said electromagnet and moving said brake shoe out of engagement with said drum against the action of said spring means when said electromagnet is energized.

Claim 7

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 in which there are two feeder lines and two current collectors, one of said feeder lines being interrupted and having an isolated segment unconnected with the remainder of the feeder line, and a switch connected between the isolated segment and the bridging conductor, whereby when the truck is positioned with the current collector on the isolated segment and the switch is off, the truck is stopped, and by turning the switch on, the electromagnet is energized to start the truck moving with the moving magnetic material.

Claim 8

An electromagnetic vehicle moving system as claimed in claim 1 in which there is at least one feeder line and two electromagnets spaced along the truck in the direction of movement along the rails and each having a current collector connected thereto, the moving magnetic material being interrupted, the feeder line having an isolated segment bridging the intErruption in the moving magnetic material, a conductor bridging the isolated feeder line segment, and the current collectors for the respective electromagnets which electrically contact the interrupted feeder line being spaced apart on said truck a distance substantially equal to the length of the interruption in the feeder line, whereby when the current collector for the leading electromagnet reaches the interruption in the feeder line, the leading electromagnet will be deenergized and will be able to move from a position in alignment with the one portion of the moving magnetic material to a position in alignment with the other portion of the moving magnetic material, and when the current collector for the trailing electromagnet reaches the interruption in the feeder line and the trailing electromagnet is deenergized, the current collector for the leading electromagnet will have passed the interruption and reached the energized portion of the feeder line to reenergize the leading electromagnet.